1b.Approach (from AD-416)
Genetic improvement of wheat for stem rust resistance and stripe rust resistance using genetic markers and traditional plant breeding methods. Varieties that have demonstrated increased resistance will be crossed with wheat varieties that are in current commercial use.

3.Progress Report

This is a congressionally mandated agreement for the improvement of wheat genetics. During the past year, we have crossbred several wheat lines in order to develop Yellow Dwarf (YD) Virus disease resistant cultivars. Specifically, we backcrossed the combination, Bdv3 and Qfhs.pur-7EL, into adapted soft winter wheat lines and have identified several advanced lines with the combination Bdv3 and Qfhs.pur-7EL that we will enter into performance trials in the fall of 2011. We were able to show that we successfully moved Bdv2 to from 7DL to 7BL using SSR marker genotyping. We replaced a segment of 7BL in the F5 line, Purdue 07463 with7E segment carrying Bdv2. We have also characterized stem rust resistance of two recombinant inbred populations of 100 lines each, along with the resistant parent PI 410966 and the respective susceptible parents LMPG-6 and OK3040, in tests at Lafayette, IN with local populations of P. graminis f. sp. Tritici and in collaboration with Dr. Yue Jin, USDA-ARS Cereal Disease Lab, St. Paul, MN with P. graminis tritici virulence genotype Ug99. Our results indicated that PI 410966 had one highly effective hypersensitive stem rust resistance factor, located on chromosome 2BS, and Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) markers Xcfa2278, Xgwm410, Xwmc27, and Xwmc474 co-segregated with the resistance gene. Using mapped markers on 7DL and 7EL, we have been able to map Lr19Sr25 in the wheat line, Wheatear. Finally, we identified and mapped two moderately effective Qualitative Trait Loci (QTLs) (Qsng.pur-2DL.1 and Qsng.pur-2DL.2) for resistance to the fungus Stagonospora nodorum which causes nodorum glume blotch (SNB) in wheat, by phenotyping and screening a recombinant inbred population with SSR markers. The Authorized Departmental Officer’s Designated Representative (ADODR) monitored progress through the annual progress report.